Stricken
by Short 'n Simple
Summary: An amazing power had awakened in her body that night the night her parents were murdered. The power shot the every muscle and limb, tightening and overworking. Will she be able to capture her powers true essence? AU
1. Prolouge

_**Stricken**_

_**Short 'n Simple**_

**Summary: An amazing power had awakened in her body that night; the night her parents were murdered. The power shot the every muscle and limp, tightening and overworking. Will she be able to capture her powers true essence? AU**

**_:Prolouge:_**

Disclaimer: I don't Harry Potter, or any of the supporting characters, just the plotline… Which is probably clichéd.

A small smiled played on her lips, her trainers hit the ground in a light fashion, her soft, curly hair bounced around her shoulders and she sighed.

This would be the first time in ages she had been home and she couldn't wait to sit and tell her mother and father of the humorous and drama-filled year she had just put to an end over a cup or tea or cocoa.

A clap of thunder startled her, and small rain drops showered her face, rolling down her cheeks, as if tears. She hurriedly wiped them away and untied the jumper around her waits and pulling it over her head. The sunset was the thing casting a glow in the world round her, soon night would be here.

As she approached her doorstep, she let her hand linger on the door knob, listening. Nothing. No sound gave way to movement within. No soft music, no gun movies. Not even the rustling of that days paper. Until the moment she shrugged her shoulders and dismissed a feeling of dread. A series of pops could be heard from inside, and she jumped to conclusions.

Her parents being muggles could never apparate.

She quickly tore at the door, trying to open it, and, out of fear, she thought not o fusing her wand, but shoved her hands into her jean pockets and fished her keys out, and thrusted they key in to the locked and twisted hard, opening the door, she let it slam against the wall. She was worried.

As she stood, staring at the scene before her, her knees buckled and she fell to the ground beneath her.

Why would wizards commit to using force, and causing such bloody deaths? Tears rolled freely down her cheeks, did they not have wands? Why, _why_ was it her own family. Her knees slipped under her body weight and she feel to the ground, and crawled over to her mother, stroking her hair, asking her to wake up in a soft whisper. She turned to her father, and held his slowly stiffing hand, whispering "Papa..." over and over again.

Their blood soaked through the knees of her worn jeans and her body shook as the crimson liquid tickled her knees, and she back away, sobbing. One of her blood-slicked knees slipped from underneath her and she toppled over, her body still shaking violently with every tear that fell from her warm chocolate eyes.

She wanted to call for help, she needed to, but she didn't.

Suddenly she felt a warm sensation rise within her body, and power spread through her body, tugging at her muscles and limbs, and clenched her fists, trying to rid the tightening feeling, and wiped away her remaining tears, her eyes red.

Suddenly, the young witch fell to the ground without warning, passed out. Calling one name desperately in her mind as she lost consciousness.

Harry shot up from his position in Ron's room, dropping the book on Quidditch he was reading, her heart beating fast, without him knowing the reason. A name called to him, over and over. He slowly recognized the desperate voice.

"Hermione!"


	2. She Cried Herself into Unconsciousness

_**Stricken**_

_**Short 'n Simple**_

**Summary: An amazing power had awakened in her body that night; the night her parents were murdered. The power shot the every muscle and limp, tightening and overworking. Will she be able to capture her powers true essence? AU**

_**: Chapter One: She Cried Herself into Unconsciousness :**_

**Disclaimer: I don't Harry Potter, or any of the supporting characters, just the plot line… Which is probably clichéd.**

_Suddenly, the young witch fell to the ground without warning passed out. Calling one name desperately in her mind as she lost consciousness._

_Harry shot up from his position in Ron's room, dropping the book on Quidditch he was reading, her heart beating fast, without him knowing the reason. A name called to him, over and over. He slowly recognized the desperate voice._

"_Hermione!"_

_---_

Ronald Weasley sat up in his bed tiredly, and yawned, "What the hell is your problem?"

Harry blinked and put a hand to his chest, trying to calm the beating. "I… I…" His voice was shaky, he felt as if he had seen something horrible, as if he had watched Sirus fall behind the curtain once more, or heard Dumbledore plead to Snape. It sickened him, tears burning behind his eyes.

The voice called to him once more, only, this time is was fainter, more desperate. This time he was sure it was Hermione.

Ron's eyes narrowed and he moved to stand, "What's wrong, mate?"

Harry turned to him. Hermione was his best friend. Ron, himself and Hermione had been through these seven enduring years at Hogwarts, they had seen everything together, felt the same emotions. They had even graduated together. They were all almost one whole person. When they graduated they promised to fight side-by-side against Voldemort one last time, defeat him.

"I… I think Hermione is in trouble."

Ron blinked, and looked more confused, "How?"

"I don't know… I don't know how to explain it." Harry rubbed his face frustratedly, "It's just— Come on!" Harry was afraid to ignore his bad feelings. Things just never really seem to go right in his world, and he isn't taking anymore risks. He doesn't want to loose anymore family— well people he considers family.

Ron shook his head, "Harry, I'm sure she's fine, we only saw her four or five hours ago!"

Harry shook his head, "And what if she is in trouble? What then?"

Ron looked around the room hesitantly, shrugging his shoulders, "Blame myself, I mean she's in the muggle world, how much can possibly go wrong that she, Hermione, cannot fix? She's a witch after all!"

Harry grimaced, and closed his eyes a moment, "Well, you stay here, then. I'm going to check. I don't trust my emotions anymore. I don't want to loose anyone else." With his back turned, Harry apparated from Ron's room, leaving Ron to think to himself.

As Harry popped into the living area of the Granger's, which is the only room in Hermione's home he had ever been in, the eerie silence filled his whole being, and he shivered, looking around.

"Hermione?" Harry took a step forward, the floor boards creaking beneath his feet, he stepped again.

"'Mione?" Another voice called the girl's name. Harry turned to see Ron, and he smiled.

The two young men stood in silence, listening. Ron and Harry looked at each other and took a few steps forward, calling her name again.

"Do you 'spose something really did happen?" Ron rubbed his arm nervously, his eyes searching the room for something, but he seemed to not even know what.

Harry nodded, and moved towards the swinging kitchen door, which shuddered at Harry's slight touch. He looked behind him, towards Ron, nodding for him to follow after.

Harry pushed the door open and took a step inside, Ron in his wake, looking over his shoulder. The two didn't have to go very far before stepping upon the scene. Harry closed his eyes for a moment, and Ron whimpered behind him.

Harry shook his head and opened them, his throat going dry. He stepped closer towards the bodies, looking down on them, a sickening rising feeling rising in his stomach.

He heard Ron turn away.

Ron hung his head over the sink, the contents of his stomach pouring into the sink and drain. Ron coughed and continued to lull over the sink, "Is…" His voice cracked and he cleared his throat, "Is this how muggles… kill?" He couldn't find the right way to word his question.

Harry nodded, kneeling next to the bodies, grimacing, "Unfortunately. They don't have the power we do… They use knives, guns. Contraptions of the sort."

Ron finally turned, properly looking at the bodies.

The woman, Mrs. Granger lay side-ways one leg bent back and the other still straight, her hair falling over her face, crimson stained. Her arms were stretched out, her neck cut from her esophagus down to her chest, blood staining the white blouse she once wore. Her legs were too, cut, but it looked like the attacker had only slashed at her leg many times, trying to get her down, as if he had already fallen to the ground, unarmed.

The man, Mr. Granger was slashed the same, except for his legs were not slashed. His face, though, was carved into, his dark hair tinged red.

The couples blood lay one the floor, staining the hardwood.

Harry looked towards Ron and shook his head, then it dawned on the two.

They were wrapped up in the victims that they had forgotten momentarily about the one reason they were here. Hermione.

They scanned the room, and their eyes feel upon a body about twenty feet away from the corpses. A dried trail of blood marked her short journey. Harry stood and moved for her, when Ron seemed to stride towards Hermione, pulling her out of the toppled position she was in, holding her tight to his chest, then loosening his grip and laid her back on the floor. She was still unconscious.

Ron looked over her, "Harry, she kneeled next to them… She's stained her jeans."

Harry shook his head, kneeling beside Ron, "She cried herself into unconsciousness," He touched her cheeks, they were still swollen and red.

Harry stood, looking from the elder Grangers, to Hermione, "I'll go get your Mum and Dad… They'll—" He turned back to look at the corpses, a glint had caught his eye. A knife. He walked towards it, it was positioned next to Mr. Granger, who on the right side of Mrs. Granger.

There was something wrapped around its handle, a piece of parchment.

"But Harry," Ron continued to look upon Hermione not noticing Harry as he descended upon the knife, "Mum and Dad can't do anything about muggle murders…"

Harry shook his head as he read the parchment, "Ron, these definitely weren't muggle murderers…"

Ron narrowed his eyes and looked up, "What do you mean?"

"I mean, I'm getting your parents, they need to see this. They'll get more help." Harry shook his head, confused. What in this world was the wizard who wrote this thinking? Harry ran a hand through his hair, and was gone in an instant, only to return minutes later, two more red heads in his wake.

Molly Weasley let out a yelp and held one hand to her chest and one over her eyes as she laid eyes on the Grangers mangled corpses.

Arthur Weasley turned to his wife and held her, stroking her hair. "Molly, dear, go check on Hermione." He turned his wife away from the bodies, towards Ron and the girl in front of him. She nodded and didn't look back, kneeling in front of Hermione, conversing quiet words with Ron.

Arthur turned to Harry, "This is how you found them, I suppose?"

Harry nodded, and Arthur shook his head, "I don't think any wizards could to a thing like this, magical folk don't use kni—" Harry held the piece of parchment out to him in mid-sentence.

"That may explain a few things?" Harry asked him, more than actually telling him. He wasn't sure himself.

Arthur nodded, re-reading the note.

Harry turned towards Molly and Ron, walking over to them, "How is Hermione?"

Molly shook her head, "Poor thing. She seems to be the first to have seen them, she cried herself unconscious." Molly touched Hermione's face, and shook her head, " What she must have been feeling while she was awake makes me want to cry…"

Arthur hugged Molly, and sighed, handing Harry the parchment. "Hold on to this. Give it to Hermione, I don't want ministry official to get wound up over it, and I believe she should see it before they do." He nodded towards Hermione.

Harry nodded, still confused.

Arthur kissed Molly on the cheek and nodded towards the boys, "I'm going to go get Ministry Officials. I'm sure we can come up with a sure-fire reason why this was purely a wizards…" Arthur hesitated, "murder." With that, Arthur was gone with a pop.

Hermione stirred, her face tightening, and her mouth contouring into a frown, then softened and she slipped back into unconsciousness, leaving the world she refused to come back to for the time being, in her wake.

**A/n: Review, I think this is an all right first chapter, but I'm not sure the mood was right.**


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